Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact Launched At MWC 2018

Sony has officially launched the Sony Xperia XZ2 and the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact at MWC 2018. Both the smartphones have been significantly redesigned inside out, with a new design philosophy.

These are the first batch of smartphones from Sony to boast an 18:9 display with a curvier back. Sony is the second smartphone maker to announce the smartphone based on this new Snapdragon 845 chipset. With this new flagship series, Sony no longer offers 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Pricing and availability:

The Sony Xperia XZ2 and the XZ2 compact will be available from March 2018 in Black, White Silver, Moss Green and Coral Pink colours. However, there is no information on the pricing yet.

Specifications of Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact:

The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact has a 5 inch FHD+ 2160 x 1080px IPS LCD display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Octa-core chipset based on Kryo 385 architecture, with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The storage is also expandable using micro SD card up to 400GB.

The smartphone has an “anti-twist” aluminium frame with a “frosted-glass” like polycarbonate shell. Sony claims that the polycarbonate shell is scratch resistance. However, Sony is still missing out on the dual camera setup, which has been widely adopted in the industry.

The phone has a 19 MP primary camera with support for 4K video recording and super slow motion video up to 960 fps. For the front-facing camera, the company is using a 5MP wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture that records 1080p videos. In fact, the front camera also comes with EIS. The smartphone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with the Xperia UI on the top. In fact, even the Xperia XZ had similar slow-motion video recording capability.

The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact has a 2870 mAh sealed battery with fast charging support. However, the device does not support wireless charging.

Specifications of Sony Xperia XZ2:

Like the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact, the Sony Xperia XZ2 offers flagship class specifications. The Sony Xperia XZ2 has a bigger 5.7 inch screen with the same 2160 x 1080px resolution. The smartphone is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The smartphone also offers support for external SD card. However, the Xperia XZ2 uses a similar aluminium frame with the back panel is made using 3D Gorilla Glass shielding, which enables the wireless charging capability.

However, the cameras found on the Xperia XZ2 are the same as the XZ2 Compact. The smartphone offers a 19 MP primary camera with an f/2.0 aperture and a 5 MP front-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture.

The phone has a slightly bigger 3180 mAh battery with fast charging and wireless charging capability. Like the compact variant, the Xperia XZ2 is also IP68 certified for the water and dust resistance.

Conclusion:

The Sony Xperia XZ2 and the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact represents a design change necessary for Sony devices and do not look anything like the Xperia flagships of the yesteryears. However, Sony’s pricing strategy will determine the two smartphone’s fate in markets like India.